Electronic book with automated look-up of terms of within reference titles

• US 6,331,867 B1
• Filed: 05/28/1998
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NuvoMedia, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Eberhard, Martin F., Tarpenning, Marc E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/086,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 345/358, 345/356, 345/357, 345/352-354, 345/340, 345/341, 345/342, 345/346, 345/854, 345/860, 345/864, 345/776, 345/824, 345/863
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An electronic reading system is disclosed which allows users to download books and other types of content to a hand-held reader device for viewing. Using software which runs on a personal computer (PC), the user can download titles from Internet sites to the PC. Titles are then automatically transferred to the device when the device is placed in a cradle which is connected to the PC. Using the device'"'"'s touch-sensitive display and graphical user interface, the user can access various software-implemented features associated with the display and management of the content. One feature is a user-definable hotkey that can be “dragged and dropped” onto a menu item to create a shortcut to that item. Another feature allows the user to tap twice on a displayed word to cause the device to look the word up in a pre-specified or default reference title, such as a dictionary or an encyclopedia. Another feature allows the user to block a passage on the touch-sensitive display and then specify one or more destinations (email addresses, file folders, fax numbers, printers, etc.) for routing the passage; when the device is subsequently placed in the cradle, the passage is automatically retrieved by the PC and routed to the specified destination(s). The device also implements a user interface feature for allowing the user to rapidly and conveniently adjust the orientation of the displayed title.

Claims

1. A hand-held computing device that is adapted to be used by a user to read literary works, the device comprising:

a housing which supports a processor, memory, and a touch-sensitive display; and

a plurality of titles stored within the memory, the plurality of titles including at least one literary title that is adapted to be viewed on the display as a literary work, and at least one reference title that is adapted to be used as a reference work;

wherein the processor is programmed to respond to user selection of a displayed term of a literary title for look-up by performing at least the following steps;

(a) identifying a reference title that corresponds to the literary title, wherein identifying the reference title that corresponds to the literary title comprises;

identifying the reference title by identifying a designated reference title if the designated reference title has been designated for the literary title; and

if the designated reference title has not been designated for the literary title, searching the plurality of titles and identifying a default reference title using a classification tag embedded in the literary title that describes the literary title and a classification tag embedded in the default reference title that describes the default reference title;

(b) searching the reference title identified in step (a) for the displayed term; and

(c) displaying results of the search in step (b) on the touch-sensitive display.

2. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, wherein the reference title identified in step (a) is a language-to-language translator, and step (c) comprises displaying a translation of the displayed term on the touch-sensitive display.

3. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, further comprising an audio speaker coupled to the processor, and wherein step (c) further comprises outputting audible search results on the speaker.

4. The hand-held computing device according to claim 3, wherein the audible search results include an audible pronunciation of the displayed term.

5. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor implements a user interface which includes a menu option for allowing a user to designate a specific reference title to be used with a given literary title, and wherein step (a) comprises identifying a reference title that has been designated by the user.

6. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises searching for the term within the reference title as a keyword.

7. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, further comprising software for downloading reference titles to the memory.

8. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to perform steps (a)-(c) in response to a user tapping on the displayed term.

9. The hand-held computing device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to perform steps (a)-(c) in response to the user tapping twice in succession on the displayed term.

10. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1, wherein the reference title and the literary title are stored within a single file.

11. The hand-held computing device according to claim 1 in combination with a cradle and a software application, the cradle adapted to receive the hand-held device to electrically couple the device to a general purpose computer, the application adapted to transfer works, including literary and reference works, to the hand-held device.

12. In a hand-held computing device that is adapted to be used to read literary works, a method of facilitating the comprehension of a literary work in a plurality of works, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

(a) displaying the literary work to the user on a touch-sensitive display of the device, the literary work stored in a memory of the device in a digital form;

(b) in response to user selection of a displayed term of the literary work for look-up, identifying a reference work in the plurality of works that corresponds to the literary title, wherein identifying the reference work that corresponds to the literary work comprises;

identifying the reference work by identifying a designated reference work if the designated reference work has been designated for the literary work;

if the designated reference work has not been designated for the literary work, searching the plurality of works and identifying a default reference work using a classification tag located in the literary work and a classification tag located in the default reference work; and

searching for the term in the identified reference work, the identified reference work stored in the memory of the device in a digital form; and

(c) displaying search results from step (b) on the touch-sensitive display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of reference works are stored in the memory of the device, and the method further comprising identifying a reference work that corresponds to the literary title.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of identifying comprises identifying a reference work that has been designated by the user as the reference work to be used with the literary work.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of searching is performed in response to the user tapping twice in succession on the displayed term.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the reference work is a language-to-language translator, and step (c) comprises displaying a translation of the displayed term on the touch-sensitive display.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the reference title comprises an audio clip which is stored in association with the term, and step (c) further comprises audibly outputting the audio clip on a speaker of the computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of outputting comprises generating an audible pronunciation of the displayed term.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) comprises searching for the term within the reference title as a keyword.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the hand-held device is adapted to communicate with a general purpose computer, and the method further comprising transferring the literary and reference works to the hand-held device from the computer.